THE CRYSTAL CRYPT
By PHILIP K. DICK
"Attention, Inner-Flight ship! Attention!You are ordered to landat the Control Station on Deimosfor inspection. Attention! You are to landat once!"
The metallic rasp of the speaker echoedthrough the corridors of the great ship.The passengers glanced at each other uneasily,murmuring and peering out the portwindows at the small speck below, the dotof rock that was the Martian checkpoint,Deimos.
"What's up?" an anxious passengerasked one of the pilots, hurrying throughthe ship to check the escape lock.
"We have to land. Keep seated." Thepilot went on.
"Land? But why?" They all looked ateach other. Hovering above the bulgingInner-Flight ship were three slender Martianpursuit craft, poised and alert for anyemergency. As the Inner-Flight ship preparedto land the pursuit ships droppedlower, carefully maintaining themselves ashort distance away.
"There's something going on," a womanpassenger said nervously. "Lord, I thoughtwe were finally through with those Martians.Now what?"
"I don't blame them for giving us onelast going over," a heavy-set business mansaid to his companion. "After all, we'rethe last ship leaving Mars for Terra. We'redamn lucky they let us go at all."
"You think there really will be war?"A young man said to the girl sitting in theseat next to him. "Those Martians won'tdare fight, not with our weapons and abilityto produce. We could take care of Mars ina month. It's all talk."
The girl glanced at him. "Don't be sosure. Mars is desperate. They'll fight toothand nail. I've been on Mars three years."She shuddered. "Thank goodness I'm gettingaway. If—"
"Prepare to land!" the pilot's voicecame. The ship began to settle slowly, droppingdown toward the tiny emergency fieldon the seldom visited moon. Down, downthe ship dropped. There was a grindingsound, a sickening jolt. Then silence.
"We've landed," the heavy-set businessman said. "They better not do anything tous! Terra will rip them apart if they violateone Space Article."
"Please keep your seats," the pilot's voicecame. "No one is to leave the ship, accordingto the Martian authorities. We are toremain here."
A restless stir filled the ship. Some of thepassengers began to read uneasily, othersstared out at the deserted field, nervous andon edge, watching the three Martian pursuitships land and disgorge groups of armedmen.
The Martian soldiers were crossingthe field quickly, moving toward them,running double time.
This Inner-Flight spaceship was the lastpassenger vessel to leave Mars for Terra.All other ships had long since left, returningto safety before the outbreak of hostilities.The passengers were the very last togo, the final group of Terrans to leave thegrim red planet, business men, expatriates,tourists, any and all Terrans who had notalready gone home.
"What do you suppose they want?" theyoung man said to the girl. "It's hard tofigure Martians out, isn't it? First they givethe ship clearance, let us take off, and nowthey radio us to set down again. By theway, my name's Thacher, Bob Thacher.Since we're going to be here awhile—"
The port lock opened. Talking ceasedabruptly, as everyone turned. A black-cladMartian official, a Pro